Back (rewrite)
by PythianPickles
Summary: After suddenly leaving the world and his closest friends behind for six years, the Avatar has suddenly returned. Will he be able to mend his relationships with all of the old Gaang, and Katara? Rated T for safety. Multichaptered. REWRITE.
1. The Bison

**Well, hello again!**

**I know I've been gone for an abysmally long amount of time, and I apologize for that. If you are curious as to what happened, I have a little synopsis on my profile, but I won't go into detail here—I suspect most people here are looking for the story.**

**Anyway, I'm **_**already**_** starting to rant. Let's begin the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender. This is on **_**fan**_**fiction for a reason.**

* * *

**Chapter I: The Bison**

The waterbender almost fell over when she saw the gigantic moving blur in the sky, but then again, most people would have—a sky bison wasn't a common sight, and it wasn't the most friendly-looking creature out there.

Despite this fact, Katara hadn't reacted with shock because of Appa's size, or his appearance. No, it was something completely different. Not a soul had seen the bison, or its rider, in over six years, which raised one huge question: why would the Avatar return here now?

He had, after all, said he would never come back.

* * *

"_So where do you think _you're_ going?" _

_Aang froze in his footsteps, one foot still in the air. He slowly turned to see—_

"_Katara? Why are you awake?" _

_There was something…_off_…about him. It felt oddly like he was hiding something from her…_

_Katara narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why are _you_ awake?" she asked in response, ignoring his question._

_The answer that followed was far too saturated with tension and fear to even be slightly believable. "I…I…was going for a walk," Aang stammered out, looking at the ground quickly. He glanced up at her again. "I was going for a walk!" he repeated weakly, forcing a cheerful smile._

"_You were going for a walk," Katara said dubiously, "with everything you have?"_

_Aang cast a quick glance at the bag and staff he held in his hands, with something akin to panic on his face. "Muscle training," he finally said, holding up the items, grunting for emphasis. "Gotta…keep my strength up, right?" Another artificial smile flashed across his face, something she'd only seen reserved for fangirls and politicians—when he was putting on an act._

_Katara was not in the mood for a performance._

"_Aang, what are you doing?" she asked bluntly._

"_Going for a walk," Aang repeated, starting to seem frustrated. He turned again to leave._

"_Aang, wait." She placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back around to face her. She immediately felt him tense under her touch. "Why don't you want to tell me what you're actually doing?" she asked softly, trying to meet his eyes._

_Avoiding her gaze, Aang again said, "I already _told_ you what I'm doing, Katara—I'm taking a walk!" _

"_Right, and I'm Sokka, and _I_ want to go vegetarian."_

"_Katara—"_

"_I know you well enough to know when you're lying, Aang," she interrupted, starting to get annoyed herself._

_Apparently Aang had come to the same conclusion too, because a look of profound regret and resignation appeared on his face. "Fine…look, Katara," he sighed. "I promise it's not anything bad." _

_The look on his face was sending a very different message. Aang couldn't have looked guiltier if he'd just killed someone._

_Katara cocked a skeptical eyebrow. "You _promise_?"_

"_Yeah. Actually…I think it's going to make things better for all of you guys," Aang said, giving her an oddly wistful smile. "You'll find out tomorrow. Good night!" _

_Without further ado, he immediately turned and strode off into the darkness._

_Katara gave his retreating form another piercing stare before deciding that whatever he was up to couldn't possibly be _that_ bad._

_In retrospect, she should have gone after him and frozen him to a tree._

* * *

"Helloooo? Anyone in there?"

Katara snapped out of her daze with a shock. "Hmm?" She turned around, trying to locate the voice's owner. She immediately found him, standing behind her with an incredulous expression.

"You haven't heard a _single_ thing I said?" Sokka asked incredulously. "What's suddenly so interesting about the sky today?" He squinted upwards. "Actually, it _is_ unusually blue right now, but still—"

"What were you saying?"

"Oh, right." Sokka cleared his throat and drew himself up importantly, clearing his throat. "A _very_ important person has asked me to tell you tha—"

"—you mean yourself, right?"

"Don't interrupt!" Sokka snapped. He closed his eyes and cleared his throat again. "As I was saying, a _very_ important person has asked me to tell you…that the Avatar has arrived!" Sokka frowned at the unimpressed expression on Katara's face. "What?" he demanded. A slow, disbelieving look formed on his face. "Don't tell me you already knew…"

"I'm pretty sure the entire town saw the bison before you did," Katara answered.

The sound of a wildly cheering crowd floated over from the direction of the city square, interrupting whatever retort Sokka had been about to spout out.

"Well, anyway," he said, apparently deciding to let Katara's remark pass. "It sounds like Aang's doing something interesting—don't you want to see what it is?"

"Have fun," Katara replied blandly, walking in the opposite direction.

Sokka paused mid-step with a loud crunch. "What do you mean, _have fun_?" he called after her. "Don't you want to see Aang again? After six years?"

Katara's response was short and definite.

"No." Katara continued to crunch away, hoping that Sokka wouldn't stop her again—

"_No?_ You were looking for him so hard and now you're just going to walk away when he literally just waltzes in for all of us to see?"

Great. She could guess what was coming next…

"Come on, Katara—all of us want to know why he just upped and left for no reason. He's _right here_ now…you're not curious _at all?_"

"_The Avatar_ made it clear enough that he didn't want us _bothering him_ anymore in his little note," Katara said, trying to make it sound like she was just stating a fact. It didn't work—she could still hear the hurt in her own voice, and she cursed herself for it.

_I'm supposed to be _over this_, for Spirits' sake. I don't _care_ why Aang left us anymore. It doesn't matter anymore. I don't care. __**I don't care**__. Idontcareidontcareidontcare…_

Katara stopped walking.

Oh, who was she kidding? She would never be able to come to terms with this. Not unless she talked to Aang himself, for better or for worse.

She turned around to face Sokka, who seemed almost surprised that she had actually decided to change her mind.

"Fine," she said. "Let's go see why _Mr. Almighty Avatar_ is back."

_End of Chapter One_

* * *

**Cheesy, that last line? Well, at least I thought so…but I couldn't really figure out how to cut this chapter and I didn't want it to run away from me. Any more than it has already, I mean. Though admittedly this chapter is pretty short anyway—think of it more as a prologue.**

**I decided to take start with a different perspective this time and see how that would go, so this was also a bit of an experiment. ****How did it go? Is this rewrite working out so far or is it even worse than last time? (I kind of need to know, so I can know what to change, etc.)**

**Or, in shorter words…**

**Read and review!**

**PythianPickles out. (ahaha, memories…)**


	2. The Avatar

**Apparently I didn't completely screw up on the last chapter, according to the one review I've gotten (thanks) so I'll just continue in the same vein I've been in since I started. Though you'll notice a perspective change here.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender. _For the fiftieth time..._**

* * *

**Chapter II: The Avatar**

As Aang landed in the town square on his sky bison Appa, he was greeted by the fervent cheers of the crowd, all of whom were extremely excited to see the hero of the Hundred Year War and the almighty Avatar.

The aforementioned "almighty Avatar" had never been more terrified.

He'd never liked meeting crowds, but this time, he had more than just a sea of nameless faces to be afraid of—on the contrary, he had some very specific faces to be worried about, faces he hadn't seen in six years.

And the prospect of seeing those faces again scared him more than canyon crawlers, psychotic Fire Lords, and giant panda spirits combined.

Who would've thought that a mere reunion would've ended up being one of the most memorable dreads of his lifetime?

_BOOM._ The entire ground rumbled as Appa landed on the ground.

The cheering of a crowd reached a new crescendo—the Avatar had landed! They were about to be the first ones in six years to see the Avatar walking, talking, and breathing…maybe even _bending_.

Aang was just about ready to direct Appa on a stately walk forward (combined with a plastic smile and cheesy waving) when a cone-shaped object was slipped into his hand. "Sorry for the wait, Avatar Aang," he heard someone whisper. "Here's something to help everyone hear your speech."

_Speech?_

"There isn't supposed to _be_ a speech," Aang tried to whisper back frantically, but by the time he was able to get over his shock enough to say the words, whoever had given him the megaphone had slipped back into the crowd and the word that the Avatar was about to give a speech had spread like wildfire.

Great.

_Why does everyone always seem to know something I don't?_

The crowd was looking at him expectantly, waiting for some words of wisdom that he didn't have. What was he supposed to do now?

Tentatively, Aang raised the cone-thing to his mouth. "Uh…hi," he managed to say. "I'm the Avatar." He paused.

A hundred pairs of eyes stared back at him blankly.

"Ehehe…but I guess you already knew that!" Aang stammered, smiling weakly. _You are an idiot,_ his mind seemed to tell him matter-of-factly. He heartily agreed. "Uh…"

_Tell them why you have come_, something inside him seemed to say, and Aang felt his panic abate slightly. "I—I've come to inspect, I mean,take a friendly look at, the Southern Water Tribe, because of a request from the Earth King and the Order of the White Lotus."

Now there was a little more than blank staring, Aang saw. Some people seemed chagrined at the revelation, but most had expressions of excitement and were whispering to each other eagerly about the upcoming inspections.

Aang supposed a little complimenting wouldn't hurt. "I'm really impressed by what I've seen so far, though! I think that I'll be able to go back to the Order with good news. I'm really happy that you have been able to rebuild this well, and I think it really shows—uh…"

How had Zuko put it when he'd made _his_ speech at the end of the War? Oh, right.

"…uh…the…perseverance and integrity of the people of the Fi—Southern Water Tribe."

The last part of his sentence was nearly drowned out by the round of cheering and whistles that came from the assembled crowd. Apparently he had done _something_ right (though he reminded himself guiltily to apologize to Zuko later.) Aang was just about to take a mental sigh of relief when his eyes picked out a figure from his audience.

They made eye contact, and his stomach immediately did a double flip. The relief that had been welling up inside him vaporized, to be replaced by a bizarre mixture of fear and something else he couldn't quite identify.

_Katara…_

He knew he was openly staring and he could vaguely feel the sensation of his jaw falling, but at the moment he didn't care. Everything in his mind ground to a halt. The crowd, his impromptu speech—none of it mattered. There was only one thought running through his mind, and he wasn't in the mood to think anything else at the moment.

_She's even more beautiful than I remembered._

A dreamy smile appeared on his face. Katara visibly blushed and looked away—at which point Aang realized that he was, in fact, in front of a large crowd.

_Now isn't the time to admire Katara_, he realized belatedly, and it was his turn to be mortified as he realized that he had just been very obviously and inappropriately eyeing her.

"U-um," he managed to stutter out, "Thanks for listening." The crowd gave him a round of applause, but Aang could barely hear it. His mind was still replaying what he had just done over and over again.

* * *

The feast held in celebration of the Avatar's arrival was going to be held that night, and was as extravagant, if not more so, than the one Aang had attended at the Northern Water Tribe all those years ago. The Tribe's best cooks had all contributed, even promising to make a mouth-watering vegetarian dish, the thought of which had Aang's stomach rumbling. His diet during the two week trip to the Southern Water Tribe had consisted of nothing more than dry bread and some Avatar Spirit nourishment. It was _almost_ enough to overcome the dread he felt.

As a guest of honor, he would have to sit with the tribal chief and his family and dine with them, which he would've been more than happy with six years ago—he definitely preferred the company of his friends to that of a group of politicians. He wasn't quite as eager now, not after what he'd done to all of them, especially a certain blue-eyed waterbender.

Something told him that he was about to have a very long evening.

* * *

_He must've imagined it._

_The gloomy silence of the Southern Air Temple, coupled with the large amounts of blank-eyed statues that were situated everywhere, was already pretty creepy. It hadn't helped, of course, that this was the first time in a year that Aang had truly felt alone._

_It was logical to think that his currently uneasy mind had somehow conjured up the call for his name, maybe transfigured it out of the cry of some animal—_

"_Aang! Where are you? Look, I just want to talk, okay?" _

—_there it was again, but louder, much louder. With a jolt, Aang stopped meditating and opened his eyes, realization coursing through his mind._

_He hadn't been imagining things._

_Aang could hear their footsteps now, along with some quieter talking ("Are you sure he's here?"…"This is the first place he would go."…"I think I heard something over there…"). They were getting closer. Aang got to his feet as quietly as he could and took a stealthy step._

"_Someone's over there!"_

Toph_, he realized, and he mentally groaned to himself. _I should've remembered she would've sensedme moving.

_Running footsteps sounded in the corridor just outside the door. He heard the creak of the knob turning… The door opened with a loud groan._

_Silence._

"_So…hey guys…" Aang finally said, giving a tentative wave._

End of Chapter Two


	3. Meeting

**Holy ****, has it really been over a month? Sorry about that, time just slipped away.**

**Guest: Yes, I am aware that there are very few bison left in the world of Avatar, aside from Appa and the herd being raised by the Fire Sages. And as for Momo, you'll find out. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Michael and Bryan do, and they'd pull this off with a lot more panache and skill. Obviously. Assuming they'd even pursue this kind of storyline, which I highly doubt.**

* * *

**Chapter III: Meeting**

"_Is the table really _that_ interesting?" Sokka asked drily._

_Katara didn't respond, not that she really needed to—it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out what she was really thinking about. Anyone would've known, even if there hadn't been the necklace of flowers sitting on the surface._

_The necklace _he'd_ made._

_It was, in itself, the very epitome of irony. It had symbolized the loyalty, the tight bond, of their little family, but especially the strength of the one between the Avatar and Katara. Now, all it meant, all it would _ever_ mean, Sokka realized, was another harsh reminder of the night that _he'd_ left and crushed that, of times that would never again be experienced. _

_Never._

"I thank you for your assistance against the Fire Nation and the Fire Lord in the world's time of need, and I will be eternally grateful," _the letter had said. _"Now, though, our paths must separate, and I am afraid that they will never cross again. Sincerely, Avatar Aang."

_Where had the impish, innocent little boy gone? The letter itself sounded like something an old politician would have cooked up, not that of the playful Avatar that all of them had known. Something had changed that night, disturbingly so. The Aang Sokka had known would've never abandoned them so coldly._

Or_, Sokka thought to himself darkly,_ did he just drop an act?

_In the end, it didn't matter. It couldn't matter. If they just sat there forever, frozen, continually wondering why Aang had broken the life they'd built together, shattering a thousand unspoken bonds and rules, they'd never get to live their new life at all—however painful it would be. _

_They had to let go, however painful the scars would be. Hadn't some old dead person said that time healed all wounds?_

_Katara, especially, needed to do so. It pained him to see his little sister so morose and sad all the time, a shell of her former energetic self. He would've taken getting frozen to a wall if it'd meant that she'd gotten her old fire back. _

"_Look," Sokka began. "I know this sucks, but we have to let go and move on, alright?" He winced internally. That definitely hadn't come out the way he'd intended. _Great with words as usual, Sokka_, he thought sarcastically. He decided to try again._

"_Ok, fine, that wasn't exactly the best way to say it, and you know I'm not great with words," he said, thinking back to a certain pre-Invasion speech, "…but you know that we're going to have to do that if—well, if we ever want to live normal lives again." _

_Something glistening dropped to the table._

"_I can't."_

She never really _had_, if she was honest with herself. Even after six years, as the hole left by Aang shrunk to a pinpoint, and eventually merely an aching patch on her heart, whatever healing had occurred was only a mere façade—a thin, frail wall holding back a torrent of emotion that she didn't dare touch.

It might have solidified in time, if things had stayed as they were. Of course, whichever sadistic Great Spirit was in control of the universe wouldn't possibly have let her off that easily.

And of course, with his typical timing, he'd gone and shown right up, and destroyed that wall with a sledgehammer.

At this point, he might as well appear right at her door and—

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Katara's heart, hole and all, dropped right into her feet. "No_,"_ she gasped aloud. "There's no _way_." _It has to be a worker. Or maybe Sokka. Or Pakku. Or maybe Dad, or…_

…_please, just not _him_._

Well, she couldn't just stand there all day. Something told her the visitor, whoever it was (or wasn't), hadn't come to admire her doorknob. Smoothing out her rumpled mess of emotions, she took hold of the knob and opened the door.

The bright orange and yellow colors that met her eyes would almost have been a comical greeting in a different context.

"Oh, hello," Aang's voice said. "You've got…eh…a nice doorknob."

* * *

**Absurdly short chapter for such a long hiatus, I know. Sorry about that. Hopefully whichever chapter I release next is both long enough and interesting enough to make up for the atrocious length. Again, sorry about that long pause. I've always had problems writing, but as I grow busier, my motivation and time to write decreases as well, resulting in these month-long breaks.**

**PythianPickles…eh…out? In? Dangling off a cliff?**


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